down-gyved en · ADJ
Etymology
From down (“from a higher position to a lower one”) + gyved (“to shackle, fetter, chain”). A Shakespearan coinage.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable, obsolete, poetic) Hanging down, like gyves or fetters.
his stockings fouled, / Ungartered and down-gyved to his ankle,
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 77:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| downgyved | alternative | lexicographic |